Today we’d like to introduce you to Seiji Komo.
Seiji, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The first incarnation of boostive started out in Ocean Beach at a local studio called spotless. The owner Brian was the uncle of a good friend of ours/old bass player Sati and he would let us come into the practice rooms and bang around a bit. We would play punk, reggae and a bit of experimental instrumental stuff. This group was called the authentic and it was the group that guitar player Dylan Webber and I really connected. We would surf and skate all day then stop into spotless and play super loud and obnoxious punk (terribly).
Eventually, the owner Brian mentioned he liked our dub-reggae stuff, so we mellowed out a bit. The Authentics fizzled out when Dylan and I moved to Santa Cruz. This is where I discovered music production from a new friend Brian Mulligan. He showed me a bit of the ins and outs of recording and I started creating full compostitions with my guitar, bass, midi keyboard and computer. I showed my friends Andrew Hawes and Nathan Kocivar, who were both living in Southern California at the time, and they loved the music. We decided to start a band and all live in Santa Cruz together, this band became boostive.
Our first couple of years were spent doing summer shows in San Diego and college house partys in Santa Cruz. We were eventually discovered by Euphoric Styles in Santa Cruz who linked us to some great shows. We opened for hometown heroes Slightly Stoopid, The Hieroglyphics, The Pharcyde and Gramatik all at the main stage Catalyst. We were meeting a ton of new players and our band was growing in size. Eventually, some members wanted to try other things for awhile so we moved the core of the band (Nathan Kocivar{keys, sax}, Dylan Webber{guitar, bass}, and myself{production, bass, guitar}) back down to Ocean Beach, San Diego.
The move to San Diego was a huge step for us as a band. Nathan began teaching music at a local high school and also played in the Grossmont band. It was here he met most of the new players that would form our new ensemble, Wesley Etienne (trombone, trumpet), Sekani Thomas (percussion), Nick “Burger” Giacalonne, and Dominic Bullock (Drums) along with Mitchum Yacoub (percussion) who we met in Santa Cruz.
Our music is a fusion of Dub-Reggae, Motown era Soul music, Ambient Electronic, Jazz, and Hip hop. This fusion allows us to feature many different artists depending on the style of a particular song. We believe strongly in collaboration and the energy it brings.
Some featured artists we have collaborated with include Lindsay Olsen aka Lindsay Salami, Al Bundi, Malcolm Lee, Austin Antoine, Runson Willis, Royce Withers, Brian Cap (Driftr) and Kat Factor. Ocean Beach, San Diego has always been home for us and it feels great to have the community supporting our passion. We have a new album “Cream Supreme” in the mixing phase and aim to have it released this summer.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Its been a rocky road for us. Personell changes, location moves and just life in general have been a hinderince in our progression as a business. However, these experiences have fuled us artistically and have sculpted us to be driven and directed in our new path. The new crew of musicians are all passionate creatives and we are ready for the next chapter.
Please tell us about Boostive .
Boostive is known for its deep bass and drum pocket and its crispy horn section. Our sound is draws from the past to create a fresh new sound all its own.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory as a child is cruising around in my dads old pickup bumping George clintons atomic dog on magic 92.5. I loved that tune and rediscovering that era of music through hip hop.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1325 Santa Barbara Street San Diego, CA 92107
- Website: Boostive.world
- Email: boostive@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/boostivemusic
- Facebook: Facebook.com/boostive
Image Credit:
Ariel Nava, Collin Worrell, Katie Small
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